literary fiction en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈlɪt(ə)ɹɛɹi ˌfɪk(t)ʃən/ (General-American)
- /ˈlɪt(ə)ɹəɹi ˌfɪk(t)ʃən/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈlɪt(ə)ɹi ˌfɪk(t)ʃən/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Meanings
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(uncountable) Any work of fiction regarded as having literary merit.
I don't think "A is for Apple" qualifies as literary fiction.
The present book is mainly about literary fiction, because this is where the confusion is most profound, but in some contexts it may be useful or interesting to include non-fiction.
2014 January 30, Geir Farner, Literary Fiction: The Ways We Read Narrative Literature, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 29:
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(uncountable) Fiction lacking speculative elements and centred on character and theme.
It could be argued that Sally Rooney writes romance stories, although she's classified as literary fiction.
2023 November 11, Madison Darbyshire, “Hot stuff”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 9:While she usually reads science fiction, she also enjoys literary fiction.
We represent works in a wide range of categories, with an emphasis on literary fiction, outstanding thriller and crime fiction, and serious narrative nonfiction.
2018 September 14, Robert Lee Brewer, editor, Guide to Literary Agents 2019: The Most Trusted Guide to Getting Published, F+W Media, →ISBN, page 355:
Antonyms
popular fiction · speculative fiction · genre fiction
Deriveds
Translations (10)
es ficción seria (fiction of high artistic quality) · hu szépirodalom (fiction of high artistic quality) · es literatura artística (fiction of high artistic quality) · nl literaire fictie (fiction of high artistic quality) · es alta literatura (fiction of high artistic quality) · es ficción literaria (fiction of high artistic quality) · pl literatura piękna (fiction of high artistic quality) · es ficción de no-género (fiction of high artistic quality) · fr littérature blanche (fiction of high artistic quality) · fr littérature générale (fiction of high artistic quality)